Computer cooling apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for cooling an electronic device that includes a fluid heat exchanger, a chiller, and a pump. The fluid heat exchanger transfers heat from a hot portion of the surface of the electronic device to a fluid and has a body through which the fluid may be circulated. The body has a protrusion having a first surface that may be thermally coupled to the hot portion such that the surface of the body is sufficiently distant from the surface of the electronic device that sufficient ambient air may circulate therebetween so as to substantially prevent condensation from forming on the surface of the electronic device and from forming on and dripping from the heat exchanger when the fluid is cooled to at least the dew point of the ambient air and circulated through the body. A heat-conducting path is provided from the first surface to a region of the body that is thermally coupled to the fluid when the fluid is circulated through the body. The chiller circulates the fluid through a chiller and the fluid heat exchanger.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.10/025,846, filed Dec. 26, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,682.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of cooling electronic devices and, inparticular, to using circulating fluids to cool microprocessors,graphics processors, and other computer components.

BACKGROUND

Microprocessor dies typically used in personal computers are packaged inceramic packages that have a lower surface provided with a large numberof electrical contacts (e.g., pins) for connection to a socket mountedto a circuit board of a personal computer and an upper surface forthermal coupling to a heat sink. In the following description, a die andits package are referred to collectively as a microprocessor.

Elevation views of typical designs for heat sinks suggested by IntelCorporation for its Pentium® III microprocessor are shown in FIGS. 1Aand 1B.

In FIG. 1A, a passive heat sink indicated generally by reference numeral110 is shown. The passive heat sink 110 comprises a thermal plate 112from the upper surface of which a number of fins, one of which isindicated by reference numeral 114, protrude perpendicularly. Thepassive heat sink 110 is shown in FIG. 1A installed upon amicroprocessor generally indicated by reference numeral 118. Themicroprocessor 118 is comprised of a die 116 and a package 120. The die116 protrudes from the upper surface of the package 120. The lowersurface of the package 120 is plugged into a socket 122, which is inturn mounted on a circuit board (not shown). The passive heat sink 110is installed by bringing the lower surface of the thermal plate 112 intocontact with the exposed surface of the die 116. When installed andoperated as recommended by the manufacturer, ambient airflow passesbetween the fins in the direction shown by an arrow 124 in FIG. 1A.

In FIG. 1B, an active heat sink, indicated generally by referencenumeral 126, is shown. The active heat sink 126 comprises a thermalplate 128 from the upper surface of which a number of fins 130 protrudeperpendicularly. A fan 132 is mounted above the fins 130. The activeheat sink 126 is shown in FIG. 1B installed upon a microprocessor,generally indicated by reference numeral 136, which is comprised of adie 134 and a package 138. The die 134 protrudes from the upper surfaceof the package 138. The lower surface of the package 138 is plugged intoa socket 140, which is in turn mounted on a circuit board (not shown).The active heat sink 126 is installed by bringing the lower surface ofthe thermal plate 128 into contact with the exposed surface of the die134. When installed and operated as recommended by the manufacturer,ambient air is forced between the fins 130 in the direction shown by anarrow 142 in FIG. 1B.

A difficulty with the cooling provided by the heat sinks shown in FIGS.1A and 1B is that at best the temperature of the thermal plates 112, 128can only approach the ambient air temperature. If the microprocessor118, 136 is operated at a high enough frequency, the die 116, 134 canbecome so hot that it is difficult to maintain a safe operatingtemperature at the die 116, 134 using air cooling in the manner shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B.

Liquid cooling, which is inherently more efficient due to the greaterheat capacity of liquids, has been proposed for situations in which aircooling in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B is inadequate. In atypical liquid cooling system, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1C, aheat conductive block 144 having internal passages or a cavity (notshown) replaces the thermal plate 128 in FIG. 1B. The block 144 has aninlet and an outlet, one of which is visible and indicated by referencenumeral 146 in FIG. 1C. Liquid is pumped into the block 144 through theinlet and passes out of the block 144 through the outlet to a radiatoror chiller (not shown) located at some distance from the block 144. Theblock 144 is shown in FIG. 1C installed upon a microprocessor generallyindicated by reference numeral 148, which is comprised of a die 150 anda package 152. The die 150 protrudes from the upper surface of thepackage 152. The lower surface of the package 152 is plugged into asocket 154, which is in turn mounted on a circuit board (not shown). Theblock 144 is installed by bringing its lower surface into contact withthe exposed surface of the die 150.

In all liquid cooling systems known to the inventor, only a smallportion of the lower surface of the block 144 comes into contact withthe die 150. Since the die 150 protrudes above the upper surface of thepackage 152, a gap 156 remains between the upper surface of the package152 and the block 144. If the gap 156 is not filled with insulation andsealed, convective and radiative heat transfer from the package 152 tothe block 144 may occur. This will have no serious consequences so longas the block 144 is not cooled below the dew point of the air in the gap156. If the liquid pumped through block 144 is only cooled by aradiator, then that liquid and consequently the block 144, can onlyapproach the ambient air temperature. However, if a chiller is used tocool the liquid, then the temperature of the block 144 can decreasebelow the ambient air temperature, which may allow condensation to formon the package 152 or the block 144. Such condensation, if not removed,can cause electrical shorts, which may possibly destroy themicroprocessor 148.

Current solutions to the condensation problem referred to above include(1) controlling the chiller so that the temperature of the block 144does not decrease below the dew point of the air in the gap 156 or (2)providing sufficient insulation and sealing material to preventcondensation from forming or to at least prevent any condensation thatdoes form from reaching critical portions of the microprocessor 148 orsurrounding circuit elements. Placing a lower limit on the temperatureof the chiller limits the amount of heat that can effectively be removedfrom the microprocessor 148 without using bulky components. Further, theoperating temperature of the microprocessor 148 can only approach thetemperature of the block 144; operation at lower temperatures may bedesirable in many circumstances. Alternatively, if insulation andsealing is used, trained technicians must do the installation properlyif the installation is to be effective. If the insulation or seals fail,condensation can occur and cause catastrophic failure of the personalcomputer. A simpler, more reliable solution to the condensation problemis needed.

SUMMARY

In one aspect the invention provides a heat exchanger for extractingheat from an electronic device, such as a microprocessor, through a hotportion of the surface of the electronic device. The heat exchanger hasa body through which a fluid may be circulated. The body has aprotrusion having a first surface that may be thermally coupled to thehot portion of the electronic device. A heat-conducting path is providedfrom the first surface to a region of the body that is thermally coupledto the fluid when the fluid is circulated through the body. Preferably,when the first surface is thermally coupled to the hot portion, thesurface of the body is sufficiently distant from the surface of saidelectronic device other than the hot portion that sufficient ambient airmay circulate therebetween so as to substantially prevent condensationfrom forming on the surface of said electronic device and from formingon and dripping from the heat exchanger when said fluid is cooled to atleast the dew point of the ambient air and circulated through the body.

In another aspect the invention provides a heat exchanger for extractingheat from an electronic device through a hot portion of the surface ofthe electronic device. The heat exchanger includes a body that may becooled by a circulating fluid and a conduit for circulating the coolingfluid. The body has a first surface that may be thermally coupled to thehot portion of the electronic device and a heat-conducting path from thefirst surface to a portion of the body that is thermally coupled to thefluid when the fluid is circulated. Preferably, when the first surfaceis thermally coupled to the hot portion, the surface of the body otherthan the first surface and the conduit are sufficiently distant from thesurface of the electronic device other than the hot portion thatsufficient ambient air may circulate therebetween so as to substantiallyprevent condensation from forming on the surface of the electronicdevice and from forming on and dripping from the heat exchanger when thefluid is cooled to at least the dew point of the ambient air andcirculated.

In another aspect the invention provides an apparatus for extractingheat from an electronic device, such as a microprocessor. The apparatusincludes a first fluid heat exchanger for transferring heat from a hotportion of the surface of the electronic device to a fluid, a chillerfor chilling the fluid, and a pump for circulating said fluid throughsaid chiller and said first fluid heat exchanger. The first fluid heatexchanger includes a body through which the fluid may be circulated. Thebody has a protrusion having a first surface that may be thermallycoupled to the hot portion. Preferably, when the first surface isthermally coupled to the hot portion, the surface of the body issufficiently distant from the surface of the electronic device otherthan the hot portion that sufficient ambient air may circulatetherebetween so as to substantially prevent condensation from forming onthe surface of said electronic device and from forming on and drippingfrom the heat exchanger when the fluid is cooled to at least the dewpoint of the ambient air and circulated through the body. Aheat-conducting path is provided from the first surface to a region ofthe body that is thermally coupled to the fluid when the fluid iscirculated through the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic elevation view of a conventional passive heatsink installed on a microprocessor.

FIG. 1B is a schematic elevation view of a conventional active heat sinkinstalled on a microprocessor.

FIG. 1C is a schematic elevation view of a conventional liquid-cooledheat sink installed on a microprocessor.

FIG. 2A is a schematic pictorial view of a partially assembled desktoppersonal computer with an embodiment of the cooling apparatus describedherein installed. Many of the conventional components of the desktoppersonal computer that are not relevant to the cooling apparatus areomitted.

FIG. 2B is a schematic pictorial view of a partially assembledtower-case personal computer with an embodiment of the cooling apparatusdescribed herein installed. Many of the conventional components of thedesktop personal computer that are not relevant to the cooling apparatusare omitted.

FIG. 3A is a schematic elevation view of a portion of the desktoppersonal computer of FIG. 2A showing a fluid heat exchanger inaccordance with the present invention coupled to the CPU microprocessorof the computer.

FIG. 3B is a schematic elevation view of a portion of the tower-casepersonal computer of FIG. 2B showing a fluid heat exchanger inaccordance with the present invention coupled to the CPU microprocessorof the computer.

FIGS. 3C-3F are schematic elevation views of a series of variant fluidheat exchangers.

FIG. 3G is a schematic elevation view of a variant fluid heat exchangerhaving an external cooling conduit.

FIG. 3H is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fluid heat exchangershown in FIG. 3G taken along line 3H-3H of FIG. 3G.

FIG. 4A is a schematic exploded isometric view of the fluid heatexchanger shown in FIG. 3A.

FIGS. 4B, 4C, and 4D are schematic cross-sectional views of the fluidheat exchanger of FIG. 4A taken along lines 4B-4B, 4C-4C, and 4D-4D ofFIG. 4A, respectively.

FIG. 4E is a schematic pictorial view of the fluid heat exchanger ofFIG. 3A showing the internal fluid flow pattern.

FIG. 5A is a schematic partially exploded isometric view of the fluidheat exchanger of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-section of the fluid heat exchanger of FIG.5A taken along line 5B-5B of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A is a schematic isometric view of a molded or cast one-piecefluid heat exchanger in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a schematic elevation view of the fluid heat exchanger ofFIG. 6A.

FIG. 6C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fluid heat exchangerof FIG. 6A taken along line 6C-6C of FIG. 6B.

FIGS. 6D, 6E, 6F, 6G, 6H, 6I, 6J, and 6K are schematic cross-sections ofthe fluid heat exchanger of FIG. 6A taken along lines 6D-6D, 6E-6E,6F-6F, 6G-6G, 6H-6H, 6I-6I, 6J-6J, and 6K-6K of FIG. 6C, respectively.The barbs and protrusion are not shown.

FIG. 7A is a schematic isometric view of another fluid heat exchanger inaccordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 7B, 7C and 7D are sectional views of the fluid heat exchanger ofFIG. 7A taken along lines 7B-7B, 7C-7C and 7D-7D, respectively. FIGS. 7Band 7C show views with a clamping wire removed.

FIG. 8A is a schematic elevation view of the pump/tank module of thecooling apparatus of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

FIG. 8B is a schematic side elevation view of a molded pump/tank modulethat could be included in the cooling apparatus of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

FIG. 8C is a schematic end elevation view of the pump/tank module ofFIG. 8B.

FIG. 8D is a schematic internal side elevation view of the pump/tankmodule of FIG. 8B.

FIG. 8E is a side elevation view in exploded configuration of anotherpump module that could be used in the cooling apparatus of FIGS. 2A and2B. Two housing portions of the pump module are shown in section tofacilitate understanding.

FIG. 8F is a side elevation view in assembled configuration of the pumpmodule of FIG. 8E.

FIG. 9A is a schematic end elevation view of a copper-finned chillermodule in accordance with the invention, with the fan removed. The viewis taken in the direction of airflow when chiller module is inoperation.

FIG. 9B is a schematic longitudinal section of the chiller module ofFIG. 9A taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10 is a schematic end elevation view of an aluminum-finned chillermodule having four extruded fin sections, in accordance with theinvention. The view is taken with the fan removed and in the directionof airflow when chiller module is in operation.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-section of the chiller module of FIG. 10taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of the chiller module of FIG. 10 withthe housing removed.

FIG. 13 is a cross-section of one of the four extruded fin sections ofthe chiller module of FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is a schematic end elevation view of an aluminum-finned chillermodule having two extruded fin sections, in accordance with theinvention. The view is taken with the fan removed and in the directionof airflow when chiller module is in operation.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal cross-section of the chiller module of FIG. 14taken along line 15-15 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a cross-section of one of the two extruded fin sections ofthe chiller module of FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view through another aluminum-finned chillermodule according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a partially exploded isometric view of a bored fluid heatexchanger for use in the chiller modules of FIGS. 9, 10, 14 and 17.

FIG. 19A is a schematic isometric view of a molded or cast fluidone-piece heat exchanger for use in the chiller modules of FIGS. 9, 10,14 and 17.

FIG. 19B is a schematic elevation view of the fluid heat exchanger ofFIG. 19A.

FIG. 19C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fluid heat exchangerof FIG. 19A taken along line 19C-19C of FIG. 19B.

FIGS. 19D, 19E, 19F, 19G, 19H, 19I and 19J are schematic cross-sectionsof the fluid heat exchanger of FIG. 19A taken along lines 19D-19D,19E-19E, 19F-19F, 19G-19G, 19H-19H, 19I-19I and 19J-19J of FIG. 19C,respectively. The barbs are not shown.

FIG. 20A is a sectional view through another heat exchanger useful inthe chiller modules of FIGS. 9, 10, 14 and 17.

FIGS. 20B and 20C are schematic figures showing flow patterns through aheat exchanger of FIG. 20A.

FIG. 21A is a schematic plan view of a molded retainer for retaining afluid heat exchanger coupled to a CPU microprocessor in accordance withthe invention.

FIG. 21B is a schematic front elevation view of the retainer of FIG.21A.

FIG. 21C is a schematic side elevation view of the retainer of FIG. 21A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Two embodiments of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B asthey would appear when installed in two typical forms of desktoppersonal computer (“PC”), the PCs generally indicated by referencenumerals 210 and 250, respectively. In FIG. 2A, the PC 210 is adesktop-type PC, while in FIG. 2B, the PC 250 is a tower-type PC. InFIGS. 2A and 2B, the PC 210, 250 is shown with its case cover and powersupply removed so that a cooling apparatus that is an embodiment of thepresent invention can be seen. Each PC 210, 250 has a motherboard 212,252 together with a CPU microprocessor 214, 254 mounted in a socket 216,256 as shown schematically in FIGS. 2A and 2B. In each case, the socket216, 256 is mounted on the motherboard 212, 252. Other conventionalcomponents are omitted.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, each cooling apparatus is comprisedof three modules: a heat exchanger 218, 258 mounted in contact with theCPU microprocessor 214, 254; a chiller module 220, 260; and a pumpmodule 222, 262. Each heat exchanger 218, 258 is mounted so as to bethermally coupled to a CPU microprocessor 214, 254 and replaces aconventional heat sink such as those shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Thedetails of the manner in which the heat exchangers 218, 258 are mountedare described below. The chiller module 220, 260 and the pump module222, 262 are mounted to the case of the PC 210, 250 and connectedtogether by a first section of tubing 224, 264. The chiller module 220,260 is connected to the heat exchanger 218, 258 by a second section oftubing 226, 266. The heat exchanger 218, 258 is connected to the pumpmodule 222, 262 by a third section of tubing 228, 268. In operation,fluid is pumped from the pump module 222, 262 through the chiller module220, 260, then through the heat exchanger 218, 258, and finally returnsto the pump module 222, 262. When the cooling apparatus is operating,chilled fluid passes through the heat exchanger 218, 258 so as toextract heat produced by the microprocessor 214, 254.

FIGS. 3A and 3B provide more detailed views of the heat exchangers 218,258 as mounted on the microprocessors 214, 254 in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Theupright heat exchanger 218 of FIG. 2A differs in several details fromthe horizontal heat exchanger 258 of FIG. 2B. Hence, each is describedseparately.

In FIG. 3A, the microprocessor 214 can be seen to be of the conventionalflip-chip type comprising a die 310 mounted in a mounting package 312.The die 310 extends above the surrounding surface 313 of the mountingpackage 312 and provides a non-active surface 311 that is generallyparallel to the surrounding surface 313. In this type of mounting, nothermal plate is provided as part of the microprocessor 214, it beingintended that a heat sink will be installed directly in contact with thenon-active surface 311. “Non-active surface” as used herein refers tothe face of a die that does not have electrical contacts and that isnormally exposed to cooling air flow or placed in contact with a heatsink or other means from removing heat from the die 310.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the upright heat exchanger 218 is comprisedof a cuboid body 314 of a heat-conducting material such as copper,aluminum, or plastic that has a cuboid protrusion 316 extending from itsbottom face 318. Optionally, the bottom face of the protrusion 316 maybe a thin silver cap 319. As will be discussed in relation to FIGS.4A-4E, the body 314 contains internal passages and chambers (not shownin FIG. 3A) through which a fluid may be circulated. The protrusion 316ends in a face 320 (sometimes referred to as a surface herein), whichshould preferably be dimensionally substantially congruent with thenon-active surface 311 of the die 310. Some of the advantages of theinvention are reduced if the face 320 is not substantially congruentwith the non-active surface 311. If the face 320 does not contact theentire non-active surface 311, then the rate at which heat can betransferred is reduced, although if for some reason the die is notuniformly hot, this may be desirable or at least tolerable. On the otherhand, if the face 320 is larger than the non-active surface 311, thedisadvantages of conventional liquid heat exchangers such as that shownin FIG. 1C begin to appear as the difference in size increases. Anempirical approach should be used to applying the present invention to aparticular microprocessor installation.

While the body 314 and the protrusion 316 are shown as cuboid in thedrawings, they may be any convenient shape so long as the body 314,through which fluid is circulated, is separated from the microprocessor214 by a sufficient distance and a face 320 is provided that isapproximately dimensionally congruent with and conforms to thenon-active surface 311 of the die 310. Further, in some circumstancesthe protrusion 316 may be eliminated or reduced to the silver cap 319.For example, in FIGS. 3C-3F a sample of some possible body shapes areshown. In those drawings, reference numerals correspond to those in FIG.3A where there are corresponding elements. For example, in FIG. 3C, aspherical body 380 having no protrusion is shown; the face 320 is simplya flattened portion of the surface of the body 380. In FIG. 3D, aninverted truncated pyramidal body 382 is shown; the face 320 is providedby an optional silver cap 319 that is in effect a small protrusion. InFIG. 3E, a columnar body 384 is shown and in FIG. 3F, a truncatedpyramidal body 386 is shown. In each case, appropriate internal passages(not shown) must be provided to circulate cooling fluid; a fluid inletfitting 328 and a fluid outlet fitting 330 are shown in each drawing.Further, in FIG. 3A, the protrusion 316 could be cylindrical rather thanrectangular in cross-section preferably ending in a face 320 that isapproximately dimensionally congruent with and conforms to thenon-active surface of the die 310.

One goal in designing the upright heat exchanger 218 is to provide meansto conduct heat away from the die 310 and then transfer that heat to afluid circulating through the body 314 of the upright heat exchanger218. If a protrusion 316 is provided, it should preferably have across-sectional area that does not increase rapidly with distance fromthe die 310 and should be designed to transfer heat as efficiently aspossible to the body 314, rather than to dissipate heat itself. Ideallythe temperature should drop as little as possible from the non-activesurface 311 to the body 314 so as to minimize the possibility ofcondensation forming on the protrusion 316 if the fluid circulatingthrough the body 314 is chilled below the dew point of the ambient air.In other words, a heat-conducting path must be provided from theprotrusion 316 to the circulating fluid. This path may be provided bythe material out of which the upright heat exchanger 218 is formed, orby a heat pipe integrated into the upright heat exchanger 218, or by athermoelectric heat pump placed between the die 310 and the body 314,possibly as a protrusion 316 from the body 314.

Preferably, the protrusion 316 should extend far enough from themicroprocessor 214 so that the lower surface 318 of the body 314 issufficiently distant from the surface 313 of the microprocessor 214 suchthat sufficient ambient air may circulate in the gap between them so asto substantially prevent condensation from forming on the surface 313 ofthe microprocessor 214 and from forming on and dripping from the body314 when fluid is cooled below the dew point of the ambient air andcirculated through the body 314. Just how far the fluid should be cooleddepends upon how much heat needs to be conducted away from the die 310.The further the fluid is cooled, the more heat can be conducted awayusing the same sizes for components such as the pump module 222, 262 andthe heat exchanger 218, 258. There is therefore an economic advantage inusing colder fluid, but at some point the gap between the surface of thebody 314 and the surface of the microprocessor 214 will no longer allowsufficient air circulation. Hence the distance that the protrusion 316extends from the body 314 must be determined empirically based upon theamount of heat needed to be conducted away and the sizes of thecomponents. As noted above, a discrete protrusion may not be needed ifthe body 314 has a shape that provides a sufficient gap between the body314 and the surface of the microprocessor 214. Several examples of thisare shown in FIGS. 3C-3 G.

The inventor has found that even a small distance between the lowersurface 318 of the body 314 and the surface 313 of the microprocessor214 will allow the fluid to be cooled further than is possible usingconventional heat exchangers without sealing and insulation. Forexample, a distance of approximately 6 mm has been found to besufficient to allow for cooling current CPU microprocessors usingcirculating fluid cooled to below the dew point of the ambient air.

It is critical that (1) condensation not be allowed to form on themicroprocessor 214 or other components and, (2) if condensation doesform on the upright heat exchanger 218, then it does not drip orotherwise run onto the microprocessor 214 or other components. Ingeneral, heat transfer from the socket 216, the motherboard 212, or themicroprocessor 214 to the body 314 should not be allowed to lower thetemperature of any portion of the socket 216, the motherboard 212, orthe microprocessor 214 so as to allow condensation to form on them. Oneway to accomplish this is to keep the gap between the body 314 and themicroprocessor 214 sufficiently large that convection cells will notestablish themselves in that gap under normal operating conditions so asto cause convective heat transfer. Further, the body 314 should besufficiently exposed to ambient air flow that if condensation does formon the body 314, it will evaporate without dripping onto themicroprocessor 214 or other components.

The upright heat exchanger 218 is held in place so that the face 320 ofthe protrusion 316 is thermally coupled to the die 310 by a clampingarrangement formed from a plastic bar 322, two stainless steel springclips 324, and a bolt 326. The spring clips 324 hook under oppositesides of the socket 216 and extend upward to attach to opposite ends ofthe plastic bar 322. The plastic bar 322 is provided with an openingaligned with the center of the die 310 that is threaded to accept thebolt 326. The upright heat exchanger 218 is installed by placing theface 320 of the protrusion 316, preferably coated with thermal grease,against the non-active surface of the die 310 and then tightening thebolt 326 until the bolt 326 contacts the upright heat exchanger 218. Theuse of a plastic bar 322 minimizes the possibility that excessivepressure will be applied to the die 310 by tightening the bolt 326,because the plastic bar 322 will break if too much pressure is applied.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the upright heat exchanger 218 is alsoprovided with a fluid inlet fitting 328 and a fluid outlet fitting 330.When installed in the PC 210 shown in FIG. 2A, the tubing indicated byreference numeral 226 is connected to the fluid inlet fitting 328 andthe tubing indicated by reference numeral 228 is connected to the fluidoutlet fitting 330.

Also illustrated in FIG. 3A is a screw-in plug 332 and a nylon washer334. The top of the body 314 is provided with a threaded filler opening(not shown in FIG. 3A), which is threaded to accept the screw-in plug332. The purpose of the threaded filler opening is discussed below, butwhen assembled, the nylon washer 334 is placed over the opening and thescrew-in plug 332 screwed into the opening to cause the nylon washer 334to seal the opening. The head of the screw-in plug 332 is indented so asto accept the end of the bolt 326 and align the upright heat exchanger218 while the bolt 326 is being tightened.

In FIG. 3B, the microprocessor 254 can be seen to be of the conventionalflip-chip type having a die 350 mounted in a mounting package 352. Thedie 350 extends above the surrounding surface 353 of the mountingpackage 352 and provides a non-active surface 351 that is generallyparallel to the surrounding surface 353. In this type of mounting, nothermal plate is provided as part of the microprocessor 254, it beingintended that a heat sink will be installed directly in contact with thenon-active surface 351.

As illustrated in FIG. 3B, the horizontal heat exchanger 258 iscomprised of a cuboid body 354 of copper that has a cuboid protrusion356 extending from a face 358 adjacent and parallel to the non-activesurface 351 of the die 350. As will be discussed in relation to FIGS. 5Aand 5B, the body 354 contains internal passages and chambers throughwhich a fluid may be circulated. The protrusion 356 ends in a face 360(sometimes referred to as a surface herein), which should preferably bedimensionally substantially congruent with and conform to the non-activesurface 351 of the die 350. Some of the advantages of the invention arereduced if the face 360 is not substantially congruent with the surfaceof the die 350. If the face 360 does not contact the entire surface ofthe die 350, then the rate at which heat can be transferred is reduced,although if for some reason the die 350 is not uniformly hot, this maybe desirable or at least tolerable. On the other hand, if the face 360is larger than the surface of the die 350, the disadvantages of currentliquid heat exchangers such as that shown in FIG. 1C begin to appear asthe difference in size increases. An empirical approach should be usedto applying the present invention to a particular microprocessorinstallation.

The discussion above regarding variant body shapes and design goals forthe upright heat exchanger 218 applies as well to the horizontal heatexchanger 258.

The horizontal heat exchanger 258 is held in place so that the face 360of the protrusion 356 is thermally coupled to the die 350 by a clampingarrangement formed from a plastic bar 362, two stainless steel springclips 364, and a bolt 366. The spring clips 364 hook under oppositesides of the socket 256 and extend outward to attach to opposite ends ofthe plastic bar 362. The plastic bar 362 is provided with an openingaligned with the center of the die 350 and threaded to accept the bolt366. The horizontal heat exchanger 258 is installed by placing the face360 of the protrusion 356, preferably coated with thermal grease,against the non-active surface of the die 350 and then tightening thebolt 366 until the bolt 366 contacts the horizontal heat exchanger 258.The face of the body 354 may be indented so as to accept the end of thebolt 366 and align the horizontal heat exchanger 258 while the bolt 366is being tightened. The use of plastic minimizes the possibility thatexcessive pressure will be applied to the die 350 by tightening the bolt366, as the plastic bar 362 will break if too much pressure is applied.

The horizontal heat exchanger 258 is also provided with a fluid outletfitting 370 and a fluid inlet fitting 368, which is not visible in FIG.3B as it is behind fluid outlet fitting 370 in the view provided in FIG.3B (see FIG. 5A). When the horizontal heat exchanger 258 is installed ina PC 250, the tubing indicated by reference numeral 266 is connected tothe fluid inlet fitting 368 and the tubing indicated by referencenumeral 228 is connected to fluid outlet fitting 370.

An alternative heat exchanger is shown in FIGS. 3G and 3H and indicatedgenerally by reference numeral 390. The heat exchanger 390 has acolumnar body 392 similar in shape to the columnar body 384 shown inFIG. 3E, but with cooling provided by an exterior winding of tubing 394rather than an internal passage for circulating cooling fluid. Theexterior winding of tubing 394 has an inlet 396 and an outlet 398corresponding to the fluid inlet fitting 328 and the fluid outlet 330fitting of the upright heat exchanger 218 of FIG. 3A, respectively. Thesame design criteria apply to the combination of the body 392 and theexterior winding of tubing 394 shown in FIGS. 3G and 3H as apply to thebody 314 and the protrusion 316 shown in FIG. 3A. Specifically, if thatcombination 392/394 were used in place of the upright heat exchanger 218of FIGS. 2A and 3A, the exterior winding of tubing 394 should preferablybe located so as to reduce heat transfer from the socket 216, themotherboard 212, or the microprocessor 214 to the exterior winding oftubing 394 so that the temperature of any portion of the socket 216,motherboard 212, or the microprocessor 214 would not drop to the pointat which condensation would form on them. Further, the exterior windingof tubing 394 should be sufficiently exposed to ambient air flow that ifcondensation does form on the tubing 394, the condensation willevaporate without dripping onto the microprocessor 214 or othercomponents. Design dimensions are best determined empirically.

The body 392 may be either solid, preferably copper, or may beconstructed as a heat pipe as shown in FIG. 3H. If so, the body 392 maybe bored axially through from its bottom 381 to close to its top surface383 forming a bored out chamber 385. A silver cap 387 may be joined tothe bottom 381 as shown in FIG. 3G. A filler opening 389 passes from thechamber through the top surface 383. The filler opening 389 is threadedto receive a screw-in plug 391. The body 392 may be used as a heat pipeif the chamber 385 is evacuated, partially filled with a mixture ofapproximately 50% acetone, 35% isopropyl alcohol, and 15% water, and thescrew-in plug 391, fitted with a nylon washer 393, is tightened tocompress the nylon washer 393, thereby sealing the chamber 385. Itshould be noted that the heat pipe configuration illustrated in FIGS. 3Gand 3H is optional; a solid body 392 may also be used.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the upright heat exchanger 218 is formed fromthree sections, a central section 410 from which protrudes a protrudingportion 412 which together with the silver cap 319 form the protrusion316 of FIG. 3A, an inlet side section 414, and an outlet side section416. The three sections are bored through in the pattern shown in FIG.4A and FIGS. 4B, 4C, and 4D. An inlet end cap 418 covers the inlet sidesection 414 and an outlet end cap 420 covers the outlet side section416. When in operation, fluid entering the inlet side section 414through the fluid inlet fitting 328 flows in a generally spiral pattern610 as shown in FIG. 4E and leaves the upright heat exchanger 218through the fluid outlet fitting 330.

As illustrated in FIG. 4C, the central section 410 has an axial bore orchamber 510 that extends from the face 511 of the protruding portion 412through the central section 410 nearly to the top surface 513 of thecentral section 410. A threaded filler opening 422 passes from thechamber 510 through the top surface of the central section 410. Thethreaded filler opening 422 is threaded to receive the screw-in plug332. When the silver cap 319 is joined to the lower face 511 of theprotruding portion 412 and the screw-in plug 332 tightened to compressthe nylon washer 334, the chamber 510 is sealed and may be used as aheat pipe if evacuated and partially filled with a mixture ofapproximately 50% acetone, 35% isopropyl alcohol, and 15% water.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B illustrate the structure of the horizontal heatexchanger 258 in more detail. The horizontal heat exchanger 258 does notinclude a heat pipe such as that provided by the chamber 510 in theupright heat exchanger 218, nor does it include a silver cap 319. Itcomprises a central block 450 bored through by nine parallel bores thatare laterally connected in the manner shown in FIG. 5B to form a passagefrom the fluid inlet fitting 368 to the fluid outlet fitting 370. Endcaps 452, 454 cover the faces of the central block 450 through which thecentral block 450 is bored. The end cap indicated by reference numeral454 covers the face of the central block 450 closest to the die 350. Aprotrusion 356 is attached to the outer face of end cap 454. The end capindicated by reference numeral 452 covers the other face of the centralblock 450 and may have a small indentation on its outer face to assistin aligning horizontal heat exchanger 258 during installation.

While the upright heat exchanger 218 and the horizontal heat exchanger258 have been shown in the drawings and described as intended forinstallation in an upright and a horizontal orientation, respectively,those skilled in the art will understand that the horizontal heatexchanger 258 could be installed in an upright orientation and theupright heat exchanger 218 could be installed in a horizontalorientation. However, in the case of the upright heat exchanger 218,suitable wicking (not shown) would then have to be provided in the heatpipe chamber 510, as gravity would not cause condensed liquid to flowback toward the protrusion 412. The heat pipe chamber 510 and moreelaborate construction of the upright heat exchanger 218 may not bewarranted in all cases. Hence the designer may wish to use thehorizontal heat exchanger 258 wherever a simple, less expensive heatexchanger is desired, in both horizontal and upright orientations.

In both the upright heat exchanger 218 and the horizontal heat exchanger258, a passage provided for the circulation of a fluid is comprised of aseries of cylindrical chambers connected by constrictions. For example,in FIG. 5B fluid entering the horizontal heat exchanger 258 throughfluid inlet fitting 368 passes through nine chambers 451, 453, 456, 458,460, 462, 464, 466, 468 before leaving through fluid outlet fitting 370.Each pair of successive chambers is connected by a constriction. Theconstrictions in FIG. 5B are indicated by reference numerals 470, 472,474, 476, 478, 480, 482, and 484. For example, in FIG. 5B constriction470 connects the first pair of chambers 451, 453. The chambers 451, 453,456, 458, 460, 462, 464, 466, 468 pass completely through section 450and may be formed by boring through solid copper blocks, althoughcasting or other methods may be used depending upon the material used.The constrictions also pass completely through the section 450, so thateach of the chambers connected by the constriction has an opening in itsinterior wall passing into the constriction having a boundary defined bytwo lines along the interior wall of the chamber that run parallel tothe axis of the chamber that are connected by segments of the edges ofthe circular ends of the chamber. The area of the opening shouldpreferably by approximately equal to the cross-section area of the fluidinlet fitting 368 and the fluid outlet fitting 370.

While the chambers 451, 453, 456, 458, 460, 462, 464, 466, 468 shown inFIG. 5B and the chambers shown in FIGS. 4B and 4D are drawn so that theaxes of successive pairs of chambers are spaced apart by a distance thatis somewhat greater than the diameter of one chamber, it is also withinthe scope of the invention to space the axes of successive chamberscloser to each other or farther apart. For example, in FIGS. 4A and 5A,the axes of successive chambers are close enough to each other that theconstrictions between successive chambers are formed by the overlappingof the chambers. One method for forming such chambers and constrictionsis to bore a block of material so that the center of each bore is closerto the next successive bore than the diameter of the bore.

The inventor has found that the one-piece fluid heater exchangerindicated generally by reference numeral 610 in FIGS. 6A-6C is lesscostly to manufacture than the fluid heat exchangers 218, 258 shown inFIGS. 3A and 3B and described above and may be used in place of fluidheat exchangers 218, 258 in many applications. However, the same designprinciples apply. The heat exchanger 610 shown in FIGS. 6A-6C is diecast in one piece from an aluminum alloy such as 1106 alloy or 6101alloy using processes that are known to those skilled in the art. Thatprocess is not within the scope of the invention, although thearrangement and shapes of the internal passages are within the scope ofthe invention. The heat exchanger 610 shown in FIGS. 6A-6C might also beformed by molding heat-conducting plastic material.

The heat exchanger 610 shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C comprises a cuboidbody 612, a protrusion 614, an inlet barb 616, and an outlet barb 618,all of which are die cast as a unitary structure. The protrusion 614provided complies with the design guidelines discussed above, extendingfrom the lower face 617 of the body 612 and having a face or surface 619for coupling thermally to the non-active surface of a die. Theperpendicular distance between the plane of the surface 619 and thelower face 617 is approximately 6.25 mm. The four sidewalls of theprotrusion 614, the face of one of which is indicated by referencenumeral 621, are concave with a radius of curvature of approximately6.25 mm, resulting in the sidewalls 621 being perpendicular to the planeof the surface 619 at their line of contact with it. The inventor hasfound that for currently available microprocessors, this perpendiculardistance and sidewall design works. However, an empirical approach isrecommended if the circulating fluid is chilled to lower temperatures.For example, steeper sidewalls, greater perpendicular distance, or both,may be needed.

As illustrated in FIG. 6C, inside the body 612 a passage 620 throughwhich chilled fluid may be circulated is provided. The passage 620connects the opening in the inlet barb 616 to the opening in the outletbarb 618. The passage 620 comprises a series of nine generally sphericalchambers connected by eight cylindrical constrictions. FIGS. 6D-6Kprovide a set of cross-sections showing the shapes and relativediameters of the spherical chambers and cylindrical constrictions. Thetransitions between the spherical chambers and constrictions are smooth.Because the body 612 and the protrusion 614 are formed as a unitarystructure from heat-conducting material, a heat-conducting path isprovided from the surface 619 to the material of the body 612 adjacentthe passage 620 so that heat may flow from the die to fluid circulatedthrough the passage 620.

Referring to FIGS. 7A-7C, another fluid heat exchanger 650 is shown. Theillustrated fluid heat exchanger can very effectively conduct heat froma protrusion 652 to the body through which the fluid passes to effectheat exchange. Thus, the fluid heat exchanger of FIG. 7 is particularlyuseful for cooling devices having high heat output or which experienceheat spikes during operation, such as a CPU. Heat exchanger 650 isformed from two main parts including a copper portion 656 and a portion658 formed of material selected to be conductive but preferably lesscostly than copper, such as aluminum. Copper portion 656 formsprotrusion 652 and is mounted in portion 658 in close contact therewith,as by press fitting, to ensure conduction of heat from portion 656 toportion 658.

The protrusion is formed to comply with the guidelines discussedhereinbefore, extending from the lower face 660 of the body and having aface or surface 662 for coupling thermally to the non-active surface ofa die.

Fluid heat exchanger 650 further includes a passage through whichchilled fluid may be circulated. The passage connects the opening in aninlet barb 616 to the opening in an outlet barb 618. The passageincludes a chamber 668 on each side into which a plurality of heatexchange ribs 670 extend such that fluid passes therethrough as itcirculates through the body. Chambers 668 are connected by channels 672.

Fluid heat exchanger 650 can advantageously be formed by modification ofan extrusion, which forms portion 658, to include an opening foraccepting copper insert portion 656 and channels 672. Chambers 668 canbe closed by applying, as by welding or adhering, an external wall 674about the edges of the chamber. Due to ease of construction, chambers668 and channels 672 can are formed through portion 658. However, it isto be understood that these passages could extend through copper portion656, should this be desirable. Other modifications to construction arealso within the scope of this invention.

The fluid heat exchanger of FIG. 7, as noted previously, can handlesignificant temperature variations and preferably is formed to have ahigh output. As such barbs 616, 618, chambers 668 and channels 672should be selected to handle the appropriate volumes and may be largerthan those shown hereinbefore.

Fluid heat exchanger 650 includes an upper surface channel 676, selectedto engage a clamping wire 678. Wire 678 is stiff, having resiliencywhich permits it to be extended over the heat exchanger 650 and securedby hooked ends 680 onto anchor points on the board. Wire 678 is formedto maintain protrusion 652 in close engagement with the die onto whichit is mounted and in the correct orientation. While wire 678 is shown itis to be understood that the wire is separable from the fluid heatexchanger and can be sold separately. In addition, otherclamping/mounting devices can be used in place of the wire, as desired.

A pump module 222, 262 that may be constructed from commerciallyavailable components is shown in detail in FIG. 8A. The pump module 222,262 generally comprises a conventional submersible 12-volt AC pump 710installed inside a conventional tank 712. The tank 712 has a screw-onlid 714, an inlet fitting 716, an outlet fitting 718, and a compressionfitting 720. The outlet 722 of the pump 712 is connected to the outletfitting 718 by tubing 724. The inlet 726 of the pump 712 is open to theinterior of the tank 712 as is the inlet fitting 716. The power cord 721of the pump 710 is lead through the compression fitting 720 to asuitable power supply outside the case of the PC 210, 250, oralternatively an inverter (not shown) may be provided inside the case ofthe PC 210, 250 to provide 12 volt AC from the DC power supply of the PC210, 250. The tank 712 may be initially filled with fluid by removingthe screw-on lid 714. The preferred fluid is 50% propylene glycol and50% water. The tank 712 should be grounded to reduce the risk of astatic electrical charge building up and causing sparking. Preferablythis should be accomplished by the use of a tank 712 composed ofmetalized plastic, although a metal plate connected to the case of thePC 210, 250 may be used.

In FIGS. 8B, 8C, and 8D, a variant pump module indicated generally byreference numeral 750 is shown that includes a pump having acenter-tapped motor winding and an inverter. The inverter is disclosedin a copending, commonly-owned application entitled “Inverter” havingU.S. application Ser. No. 10/016,687, which is incorporated herein byreference. It generally comprises a submersible 20-volt AC pump 752installed inside a tank 754. The tank 754 has a lid 756, an inletfitting 757, and an outlet fitting 759. The outlet 758 of the pump 752is connected to the outlet fitting 759 by heater pipe 760. The inlet 762of the pump 752 is open to the interior of the tank 750 as is the inletfitting 757. A power cord from the DC power supply of the PC 210, 250may be lead through an access opening 764 to connect to an inverter 766.The tank 754 may be initially filled with fluid by removing the lid 756.The preferred fluid is 50% propylene glycol and 50% water. The tank 754should be grounded to reduce the risk of a static electrical chargebuilding up and causing sparking. Preferably this should be accomplishedby the use of a tank 754 composed of metalized plastic.

In FIGS. 8E and 8F, another pump module 770 useful in the presentinvention is shown. The pump module is formed to be compact, beingsizable to fit into a media bay on a computer, and is formed such thatwhen assembled all parts are secured together for ease of installation.In particular, pump module 770 includes a fluid tank housing 772, a pump774 and a circuitry housing 776. The pump can operationally be asdefined hereinabove. Fluid tank housing 772 is formed to define an innercavity 777 and includes an open end 778 providing access to the innercavity. An opening 779 is provided for accepting a manifold 780including coolant fluid inlet and outlet ports. Manifold 780 ispreferably mounted onto housing 772 in such a way that it can beinterchanged with other manifolds depending on the size of inlets andoutlets that are required to meet the flow requirements of the coolingapparatus. Housing 772 is sized to fit over and accommodate pump 774 incavity 777 with open end 778 abutting a flange 782 on the pump.

Circuitry housing 776 includes an inner cavity 783 for accommodatingcircuitry (not shown), such as an inverter, and plugs 784 for connectingpump 774 to the electrical power supply of the computer in which it isinstalled.

Housing 776 also fits against flange 782 and end 778 to seal pump 774therebetween. Seals are provided, as by welding, adhesives, provision ofelastomeric seals, etc. such that seals are formed at least betweenflange 782 and end 778 to cause cavity 777 to be fluid tight and housing776 is secured, as by welding, adhesives, clamping, etc., to the otherparts to form a single pump module.

Two basic designs for the chiller module 220, 260 are shown in FIGS. 9to 13. FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a copper-finned chiller 810, whileFIGS. 10-13 illustrate a cylindrical aluminum-finned chiller 1010. FIGS.14-16 illustrate a variant of the cylindrical aluminum-finned chiller1010. FIG. 17 illustrate another variant of the cylindricalaluminum-finned chiller 1010. The chillers include a chiller heatexchanger such as that shown as 814 in FIG. 18, exchanger 1810 shown inFIG. 19 or exchanger 1850 shown in FIG. 20. The chillers operate to passheat from the chiller to air passing thereby. As such the chillers canoperate in cooperation with a fan or can be oriented to operate in achimney fashion, without the use of a fan, wherein air moves through thechiller by convection.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the copper-finned chiller 810 generallycomprises a housing 812 for mounting in alignment with an opening 912 ina wall 910 of the case of the PC 210, 250, a conventional 12 volt DC fan914, a chiller heat exchanger 814 having a chiller inlet fitting 816 anda chiller outlet fitting 818, two conventional thermoelectric heat pumps820, 822, which are connected to the power supply of the PC 210, 250(connection not shown), two copper base plates 824, 826, and a pluralityof fins 828. An arrow 916 in FIG. 9B shows the direction of airflow.When installed in the case of the PC 210, 250, the chiller inlet fitting816 is connected to the tubing indicated by reference numerals 224, 264and the chiller outlet fitting 818 is connected to the tubing indicatedby reference numerals 226, 266.

The chiller heat exchanger 814, is essentially a block through which achilled fluid may be circulated, is discussed in the detail below inreference to FIG. 18. In the copper-finned chiller 810, the chiller heatexchanger 814 is sandwiched between the cold sides of the twothermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822 so that a large proportion of thesurface area of the chiller heat exchanger 814 is thermally coupled tothe cold sides of the thermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822. The assemblyof the chiller heat exchanger 814 and the thermoelectric heat pumps 820,822 is in turn sandwiched between the two copper base plates 824, 826 sothat the hot sides of the thermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822 arethermally coupled to the copper base plates 824, 826, respectively. Thesides of the copper base plates 824, 826 that are not thermally coupledto the hot sides of the thermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822 are joined bysoldering or brazing to a plurality of parallel spaced apart fins 828that are generally perpendicular to the sides of the copper base plates824, 826.

As illustrated in FIG. 9B, a buffer zone 918 is provided between the fan914 and the finned assembly, indicated generally by reference numeral920, that includes the chiller heat exchanger 814, the thermoelectricheat pumps 820, 822, the base plates 824, 826, and the fins 828. Thepurpose of the buffer zone 918 is to allow air flow from the circularoutlet of the fan 914 to reach the corners of the finned assembly 920,which has a square cross-section as shown in FIG. 9A.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 9A, a plurality of parallel spaced apartfins 830 may be joined to a portion of the side of a copper base plate824 that is thermally coupled to the hot side of the thermoelectric heatpump 820, but that is not in contact with the hot side of thethermoelectric heat pump 820. Also optionally, a plurality of parallelspaced apart fins 832 may be joined to a portion of the side of thecopper base plate 826 that is thermally coupled to the hot side of thethermoelectric heat pump 822, but that is not in contact with the hotside of the thermoelectric heat pump 822. If the fins 830 and 832 areomitted, then the space that they would otherwise occupy should beblocked so as to force airflow to pass between the fins 828.

In operation, the copper-finned chiller 810 chills fluid that has pickedup heat from the microprocessor 214, 254 and is pumped through thechiller heat exchanger 814. The cold sides of the two thermoelectricheat pumps 820, 822 absorb heat from the chiller heat exchanger 814 andpump it to their respective hot sides. The copper base plates 824, 826in turn transfer that heat to the fins 828, 830, 832. Air, forcedbetween the fins 828, 830, 832 by the fan 914 picks up heat from thefins 828, 830, 832 and carries that heat out of the case of the PC 210,250.

The cylindrical aluminum-finned chiller 1010 shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and12 may be used in place of the copper-finned chiller 810. The basicdifference between the two designs is in the use of four aluminumextrusions 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018 to replace the fins 828, 830, 832 ofthe copper-finned chiller 810. The chiller heat exchanger 814 and thetwo thermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822 used in the copper-finned chiller810 may be used in the cylindrical aluminum-finned chiller 1010 and areindicated by the same reference numerals. Two copper heat spreaderplates 1020, 1022 correspond generally to the copper base plates 824,826 of the copper-finned chiller 810.

As shown in FIGS. 10-13, the aluminum-finned chiller 1010 generallycomprises a cylindrical housing 1030 that may be attached to a wall 1110of the case of the PC 210, 250 in alignment with an opening 1112 in thewall 1110, the chiller heat exchanger 814 having a chiller inlet fitting816 (visible only in FIG. 10) and a chiller outlet fitting 818, the twothermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822, which are connected to the powersupply of the PC 210, 250 (connection not shown), two copper heatspreader plates 1020, 1022, and the four aluminum extrusions 1012, 1014,1016, 1018. An arrow 1116 in FIG. 11 shows the direction of airflow. Aconventional 12 volt DC fan 1114, as shown, can be used to move airthrough the chiller or, alternately, the chiller can be oriented suchthat a vertical air flow is set up through the chiller by convection.When installed in the case of the PC 210, 250, the chiller inlet fitting816 is connected to the tubing indicated by reference numerals 224, 264and the chiller outlet fitting 818 is connected to tubing indicated byreference numerals 226, 266.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, a buffer zone 1118 is provided between thefan 1114 and the finned assembly, indicated generally by referencenumeral 1120, that includes the chiller heat exchanger 814, thethermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822, the heat spreader plates 1020, 1022,and the aluminum extrusions 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018. The buffer zone 1118shown in FIG. 11 is much smaller than the buffer zone 918 shown in FIG.9 as both the fan 1114 and the finned assembly 1120 has approximatelythe same circular cross-sectional area so that little or no buffer zone1118 is needed to provide airflow to the finned assembly 1120. However,the buffer zone 1118 provides space for the tubing indicated byreference numerals 224, 264 and tubing indicated by reference numerals226, 266 to connect to the chiller heat exchanger 1024. Reduction in thesize of the buffer zone provides a more compact chiller.

The chiller heat exchanger 814, essentially a block through which afluid to be chilled can be circulated, is discussed in the detail belowin reference to FIG. 17. In the aluminum-finned chiller 1010, thechiller heat exchanger 814 is sandwiched between the two thermoelectricheat pumps 820, 822 so that a large proportion of its surface area isthermally coupled to the cold side of one or the other of thethermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822. The assembly of the chiller heatexchanger 814 and the thermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822 is in turnsandwiched between the two copper heat spreader plates 1020, 1022 sothat the hot sides of the thermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822 arethermally coupled to one or the other of the copper heat spreader plates1020, 1022. The four aluminum extrusions 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018 take theplace of the fins 828, 830, 832 of the copper-finned chiller 810, andare preferred because they may be extruded as units rather than joinedby soldering or brazing to the copper base plates 824, 826 as in thecase of the fins 828, 830, 832 of the copper-finned chiller 810 and areformed from less expensive material (aluminum, rather than copper). Theunits can be adapted to enhance extrusion, such as by the provision ofsmall parallel ridges along the surface of the material.

Aluminum extrusions 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018 are actually all identical,being merely rotated about a horizontal or vertical plane. Therefore,FIG. 13, which is a cross-section through the aluminum extrusion 1012,illustrates all of them. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the aluminumextrusion 1012 comprises a base 1310 from which a plurality of fins 1312protrude.

In operation, the aluminum-finned chiller 1010 chills fluid that haspicked up heat from the microprocessor 214, 254 and is pumped throughthe chiller heat exchanger 814. The cold sides of the two thermoelectricheat pumps 820, 822 absorb heat from the chiller heat exchanger 814 andpump it to their respective hot sides. The copper heat spreader plates1020, 1022 in turn transfer that heat to the four aluminum extrusions1012, 1014, 1016, 1018. Air, forced between the fins 1312 by the fan1114 picks up heat from the fins 1312 and carries that heat out of thecase of the PC 210, 250.

FIGS. 14, 15, and 16 illustrate a variant, indicated generally byreference numeral 1011 of the aluminum-finned chiller 1010 of FIGS.10-13 in which the copper heat spreader plates 1020, 1022 are omittedand the four aluminum extrusions 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018 are replaced bytwo identical aluminum extrusions 1015 and 1017. FIG. 14 corresponds toFIG. 10, FIG. 15 to FIG. 11, and FIG. 16 to FIG. 13. The elevation viewof the aluminum-finned chiller 1010 provided in FIG. 12 is identical forthe variant 1011. Aluminum extrusion 1017 is shown in cross-section inFIG. 16. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the aluminum extrusion 1017comprises a base 1610 from which a plurality of fins 1612 protrude. Thebase 1610 is thicker than base 1310; the extra thickness replacing thecopper heat spreader plate 1020.

In operation, the variant aluminum-finned chiller 1011 chills fluid thathas picked up heat from the microprocessor 214, 254 and is pumpedthrough the chiller heat exchanger 814. The cold sides of the twothermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822 absorb heat from the chiller heatexchanger 814 and pump it to their respective hot sides. The hot sidesof the two thermoelectric heat pumps 820, 822 in turn transfer that heatto the two aluminum extrusions 1015, 1017. Air, forced between the fins1612 by the fan 1114 picks up heat from the fins 1612 and carries thatheat out of the case of the PC 210, 250.

FIG. 17 illustrates a variant, indicated generally by reference numeral1011 a of the aluminum-finned chiller 1010 of FIGS. 10-13 in which thefour aluminum extrusions 1012, 1014, 1016, 1018 are replaced by twoaluminum extrusions 1015 a and 1017 a and the cylindrical housing 1030is omitted and replaced by two aluminum extrusions 1619.

Aluminum extrusions 1017 a and 1015 a are similar to extrusions 1015 and1017 of FIGS. 14 to 16, each including a base 1610 a from which aplurality of fins 1612 a′, 1612 a″ protrude. When fully assembled, theextrusions 1015 a and 1017 a accommodate therebetween in space 1626 anarrangement of heat pumps and heat exchanger (not shown) in heattransfer communication with bases 1610 a.

Although the extrusions are similar, fins 1612 a of the presentembodiment are formed differently than those illustrated in FIGS. 14 to16. In particular, inwardly extending fins 1612 a′ are spaced apart andelongate such that the fins from the two extrusions 1015 a and 1017 amesh when the extrusions are mounted together about the heat pump/heatexchanger. When meshed, fins 1612 a′ on opposite extrusions are spacedfrom each other along their side planar surfaces to permit air flowtherebetween. Spacing the fins in this way provides many benefitsincluding: facilitating extrusion of the units, assembly of the chillermodule and radiant heat transfer out of the chiller. While the fins 1612a′ are spaced from the base of the opposite extrusion, this is notrequired. In fact, the heat transfer properties of the chiller may beimproved by bringing the fins into contact with the opposite extrusion.

It has been found that radiant heat transfer is further facilitated byforming the housing of conductive extrusions 1619, rather than as anon-conductive sleeve, identified as 1030 in the other aluminum chillerembodiments. Housing extrusions 1619 each include an outer wall 1621 anda plurality of fins 1620 extending therefrom. Tabs 1622 on the housingextrusions permit the extrusions 1619 to be secured together, as by useof bolts, rivets, etc. Outwardly facing fins 1612 a″ on extrusions 1015a and 1017 a are each spaced to accommodate therebetween one of the fins1620, such that these fins also mesh when the parts are broughttogether. Fins 1620 are spaced from outwardly facing fins 1612 a″ suchthat air can pass between their planar side surfaces. Fins 1620 act toabsorb heat radiating from fins 1612 a″ and conduct it over a greatersurface area, out towards wall 1621. Fins 1620 can be spaced fromextrusions 1015 a and 1017 a about their entire surface area oralternately, they can be formed and assembled, a shown, such that thetips of fins 1620 contact against bases 1610 a. Such contact permitsheat to be conducted directly from the heat pump through the centerextrusions and into the housing extrusions. To facilitate conduction ofheat from the center extrusions into the housing extrusions, pottingmaterial 1624, such as for example epoxy or solder, can be appliedbetween fins 1620 and bases 1610 a. Care should be taken when applyingpotting material 1624 to reduce, as much as possible, interference toair flow between the fins.

In addition to heat transfer, forming the chiller module according toFIG. 17 also facilitates assembly thereof, wherein the parts can bebuilt up from one half of the housing, using the meshed fins tostabilize the parts until they are secured together.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, the structure of the chiller heat exchanger814 is, in general, similar to that of the horizontal heat exchanger 258described above in relation to FIGS. 5A and 5B; the primary differencesbeing that no protrusion 356 is provided and there are 20 chambers.Chiller heat exchanger 814 comprises a central block 1410 bored throughby 20 bores that are laterally connected in the manner shown in FIG. 18to form a passage from the chiller inlet fitting 816 to the chilleroutlet fitting 818. An end cap 1412, 1414 covers each face of thecentral block 1410. A passage is provided for the circulation of a fluidthat is comprised of a series of cylindrical chambers, tworepresentative ones of which are referred to by reference numerals 1416and 1418, connected by constrictions, a representative one of which isreferred to by reference numeral 1420.

In FIG. 18 fluid entering the chiller heat exchanger 814 through thechiller inlet fitting 816 passes through the 20 chambers before leavingthrough the chiller outlet fitting 818. Each pair of successive chambersis connected by a constriction. For example, in FIG. 17 the constriction1420 connects the pair of chambers 1416 and 1418. The chambers passcompletely through the central block 1410 and may be formed by boringthrough a solid copper block, although casting or other methods may beused depending upon the material used. The constrictions, such asconstriction 1420 also pass completely through the central block 1410,so that each of the chambers connected by the constriction has anopening in its interior wall passing into the constriction having aboundary defined by two lines along the interior wall of the chamberthat run parallel to the axis of the chamber that are connected bysegments of the edges of the circular ends of the chamber. The area ofthe opening should preferably by approximately equal to thecross-section area of the chiller inlet fitting 816 and the chilleroutlet fitting 818.

While the chambers shown in FIG. 18 are shown so that the axes of mostof the successive pairs of chambers are spaced apart by slightly lessthan the diameter of one chamber so that most of the constrictionsbetween successive chambers are formed by the overlapping of thechambers, it is also within the scope of the invention to space the axesof successive chambers farther apart, as shown in FIG. 5B. One methodfor forming such chambers and constrictions is to bore a block ofmaterial so that the center of each bore is closer to the nextsuccessive bore than the diameter of the bore.

While twenty chambers are shown in FIG. 18, more or fewer chambers couldbe used and are within the scope of this invention.

As in the case of the one-piece fluid heater exchanger 610 shown inFIGS. 6A-6C, the inventor has found that the one-piece chiller heatexchanger indicated generally by reference numeral 1810 in FIGS. 19A-19Cis less costly to manufacture than the chiller heat exchanger 814 shownin FIG. 18 and described above and may be used in place of heatexchanger 814 in many applications. However, the same design principlesapply. The heat exchanger 1810 shown in FIGS. 6A-6C is die cast in onepiece from an aluminum alloy such as 1106 alloy or 6101 alloy usingprocesses that are known to those skilled in the art. That process isnot within the scope of the invention, although the arrangement andshapes of the internal passages are within the scope of the invention.The heat exchanger 1810 shown in FIGS. 19A-19C might also be formed bymolding heat conducting plastic material.

The heat exchanger 1810 shown in FIGS. 19A, 19B, and 19C comprises abody 1812, an inlet barb 1816, and an outlet barb 1818, all of which aredie cast as a single unitary structure. Inside the body 1812 a passage1820 shown in FIG. 19C connects the opening in the inlet barb 1816 tothe opening in the outlet barb 1818. The passage 1820 comprises a seriesof sixteen spherical chambers connected by fifteen cylindricalconstrictions. More or fewer chambers could be used and are within thescope of this invention. FIGS. 19D-19J provide a set of cross-sectionsshowing the shapes and relative diameters of the spherical chambers andcylindrical constrictions. The transitions between the sphericalchambers and constrictions are smooth.

Referring to FIGS. 20A and 20B, another fluid heat exchanger 1850 usefulfor a chiller module is shown. Fluid heat exchanger 1850 is selected tocreate more laminar flow therethrough than in the heat exchangers ofFIGS. 18 and 19.

Fluid heat exchanger 1850 includes an inlet port 1852 and an outlet port1854, each in fluid flow communication with an inner chamber 1856defined by end walls 1858 a, side walls 1858 b and upper and lower walls1858 c. A plurality of ribs 1860 extend into the chamber substantiallyparallel with each other and substantially parallel to side walls 1858b. Ribs 1860 are spaced from end walls 1858 a, as desired, to permitfluid flow between the ribs and through the chamber. As such ribs 1860,walls 1858 a and 1858 b form a plurality of fluid flow pathwaystherebetween between inlet port 1852 and outlet port 1854.

Ribs 1860 are formed in heat conductive communication with walls 1858 csuch that heat from the fluid flowing therepast can be conducted throughthe ribs and into the walls of the heat exchanger.

Heat exchanger 1850 is easy to manufacture from two identical extrusions1862 formed of heat conductive material, such as aluminum, having awalls 1858 b, 1858 c and ribs 1860. The extrusions can be modified byremoving end sections of the ribs at their ends, meshed together andjoined, as by welding, adhesives, etc. to be liquid tight. End walls1858 a having port openings therein can then be mounted, in a liquidtight manner onto the ends.

Fluid can flow through the heat exchanger in a number of ways. FIGS. 20Band 20C show two such ways. In particular, in one embodiment, the inletand outlet ports 1852, 1854 can be formed as in FIG. 20A at one end andfluid can flow, as shown by arrows 20B from one end to the other of thechiller heat exchanger through the pathways formed by ribs 1860 a andreturn through the pathways formed by ribs 1860 b back toward the portedend. In another embodiment, the inlet port 1852 a is formed on a wallopposite the outlet port 1854 a and flow occurs, as indicated by arrows20 c. Flow is generated through all ribs by offsetting the inlet and theoutlet ports.

A molded retainer can be used, as shown in FIGS. 21A, 21B, and 21C forcoupling the fluid heat exchanger 218, 258, 612 to a microprocessor. Themolded retainer, generally indicated by reference numeral 1910, may beused instead of the plastic bar 322 and spring clips 324 in FIG. 3A andthe plastic bar 362 and spring clips 364 shown in FIG. 3B. The moldedretainer 1910 comprises a plate 1912 of plastic material having a fronthook 1914 and a rear hook 1916 that extend perpendicularly from theplate 1912 and perform the same function as the spring clips 324, 364.Portions of the hooks 1914, 1916 near the ends that do not hook to thesocket 216, 256 are embedded in the plate 1912 rather than fastened tothe edges of the plate 1912 by screws as is the case in the plastic bar322, 362 and spring clips 324, 364 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Further,the ends of the hooks 1914 and 1916 that do not hook to the socket 216,256 are bent back after they emerge from the plate 1912 and extendperpendicularly from the plate 1912 to form side brackets 1918. The sidebrackets 1918 extend far enough to restrain the body of the fluid heatexchanger from twisting. Two further side brackets 1920 each having aend molded into the plate 1912 are provided so that the body of thefluid heat exchanger is surrounded on all four sides by brackets 1918,1920. The hooks 1914, 1918 and brackets 1918, 1920 are preferably madefrom 26 gauge sheet steel. As in the case of the plastic bar 322, 362,the plate 1912 is provided with an opening 1922 that is threaded toaccept a bolt (not shown) that may be the same as the bolt shown inFIGS. 3A and 3B. The opening 1922 is located so that the bolt is alignedwith the center of the die 210, 250 when the retainer is installed inplace of the plastic bar 322, 362 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The plasticused to form the plate 1912 may be acrylic, although other plastics orother material may be used. The material used and its thickness shouldbe selected so that the plate 1912 will break if the bolt isover-tightened.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be usedto cool electronic components such as graphics processors as well asmicroprocessors by adding additional fluid heat exchanger modules eitherin series or in parallel with the fluid heat exchanger used to cool themicroprocessor. Similarly, multiprocessor computers can be cooled usingmultiple fluid heat exchangers.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and,therefore, the invention is defined in the claims.

1. A heat exchanger comprising: a body including (i) a center portiondefining a surface capable of thermal coupling to a heat conductor andformed of a first thermally conductive material; (ii) a surroundingportion thermally coupled to the center portion, the surrounding portionformed of a second thermally conductive material and definingtherethrough a fluid passage through which a heat exchanging fluid maybe circulated so that heat can be transferred between the heatexchanging fluid and the body, the fluid passage extending about thecenter portion; and (iii) heat exchange fins extending out into thefluid passage about which the heat exchanging fluid circulates whenmoving through the fluid passage, the heat exchange fins defining planarside surfaces over which the heat exchanging fluid passes; an inlet tothe fluid passage and an outlet from the fluid passage.
 2. The heatexchanger of claim 1 wherein the center portion includes a part formedof copper.
 3. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the second thermallyconductive material is less costly than the first thermally conductivematerial.
 4. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the second thermallyconductive material includes aluminum.
 5. The heat exchanger of claim 1wherein the center portion and surrounding portion are press fittogether.
 6. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the heat exchangefins extend substantially parallel to each other.
 7. The heat exchangerof claim 1 wherein the body includes an inlet/outlet end on which theinlet and the outlet are mounted and the fluid passage extends in acircuit from the inlet and around the center portion to the outlet. 8.The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the fluid passage defines a firstchamber into which the inlet opens, a second chamber adjacent the outletand a channel extending from the first chamber to the second chamber andthe heat exchange fins extend out into the first chamber and the secondchamber.
 9. The heat exchanger of claim 8 wherein the heat exchange finsextend substantially parallel to each other.
 10. A heat exchangercomprising: a body; a fluid passage through the body and through which aheat exchanging fluid may be circulated so that heat can be transferredbetween the heat exchanging fluid and the body, an inlet to the fluidpassage and formed for connection of fluid conveying tube thereto; anoutlet from the fluid passage and formed for connection of fluidconveying tube thereto, the fluid passage, the inlet and the outletcreating a direction of fluid flow through the body; and a plurality offins extending into the fluid passage, the plurality of fins eachdefining planar side surfaces over which the heat exchanging fluid maypass and the fins extending substantially parallel to each other and tothe direction of flow such that the heat exchanging fluid is directed ina substantially laminar flow through the heat exchanger.
 11. The heatexchanger of claim 10 wherein the plurality of fins are formed integralwith a portion of the body.
 12. The heat exchanger of claim 10 formed ofan extrusion, the extrusion including a portion of the body and at leasta portion of the plurality of fins; and wherein the extrusion is treatedto removed end portions of the plurality of fins and mounting wallsabout the extrusion to define a portion of the fluid passage within theextrusion and the mounting walls.
 13. The heat exchanger of claim 10wherein the body includes a pair of end walls, a pair of side walls andupper and lower walls and wherein the plurality of fins are eachelongate extending substantially between the end walls.